Denture cleansers have traditionally been available in the form of powders, pastes or effervescent tablets containing dyes that change color to indicate when cleaning has been effected. Such forms generally require brushing and/or an appreciable period of soaking of the dentures in order to achieve some degree of cleanliness thereof (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,337,466; 3,785,986; 3,839,213; and 3,855,142). A sprayable denture cleanser, described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,822,212, eliminates the need for soaking although brushing of the sprayed denture is still required.
The invention provides an aqueous, alkanolic, non-pressurized, homogenous, foam-producing liquid composition for facilitating rapid cleaning and deodorization of dentures such that little or no time need be lost in soaking or brushing the dentures before replacing them in the mouth of the wearer. The foamable liquid cleaning solution is disposed in a container suitable for dispensing non-pressurized, aerated, low-to-medium density foams. In use, the cleaning solution is applied to the denture in the form of an aerated foam, the bubbling, solvent, penetration and antibacterial actions of which provide an effective cleansing and deodorizing action on the denture. After a short period of time, generally within one minute, the aerated foam substantially collapses to liquid and the denture is simply rinsed free of the residual cleanser and replaced in the mouth.
In a non-related field, namely, compositions for cleansing skin, U.S. Pat. No. 3,962,150 describes a foam-producing skin cleaner with 1-15% total surfactant, 1-15% alcoholic solvent and from 70-98% water. Such a low alcohol-high water content differs from the water-alcohol content of the subject denture cleansing compositions as shown hereafter.
In contrast with other types of commercial foam products wherein the foam is maintained as such for a significant period of time, for example, shaving creams, aerated vegetable oil toppings, etc., it is the rapid defoaming or collapsing characteristic of the aerated foams produced from the subject compositions which partly provides their cleaning action, e.g., to help foam out food particles and the like from between the teeth of the dentures.